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The New York Jets have entered the free-agent sweepstakes for Washington Commanders offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic.
Hughes said Gang Green is one of three NFL teams that have shown the “most interest” thus far joining the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The commonality among all of these teams is their deep pockets, per Over The Cap they each sit inside the top-six in most available cap space in the NFL.
Additionally, Hughes added that Scherff “isn’t expected to return to Washington.”
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Some Big Time Money
The Jets have a massive hole on the offensive line at right guard and Scherff has proven to be one of the best in the league.
The 30-year-old stud has been to five Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2020.
After playing on the franchise tag over the last two years in Washington, the veteran big man will be searching for a long-term deal.
According to the Spotrac market value projections, Scherff is expected to land a deal that pays him $12.9 million annually on a multi-year deal. That figure would make him the sixth highest-paid guard in all of football.
Although in free agency with multiple teams bidding for your services, that number could get even higher.
Buyer Beware
Normally the Jets pursuing one of the top offensive linemen available in free agency wouldn’t catch any flak, but there are some big-time red flags to be aware of.
Scherff hasn’t played a full season since back in 2016 due to an array of injuries.
Over the last five calendar years, he has missed 24 games.
Too often in free agency, the green and white have signed big-money free agents only to watch them ride the bench due to injuries.
.@ConnorJRogers said the #Jets are ‘exploring all options on the interior offensive line’ in free agency + adds they want to have full flexibility in the 2022 #NFLDraft & they can do that by adding a quality RG: #TakeFlight #NFL
This would be an extremely risky addition for the Jets, but general manager Joe Douglas has shown that he is willing to risk it to get the biscuit as it pertains to adding guys with injury histories.
Look no further than his Carl Lawson addition last year and that came back to bite him in the butt during the summer when he ruptured his Achilles.
Despite missing 13 games over the span of three seasons, the Jets handed Lawson over $45 million. They could look to do something similar for even more money in this year’s free agency cycle.
There is no denying the upside when healthy Scherff would provide the Jets one of the best guards in all of football.
Envision a starting offensive line featuring Mekhi Becton, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Connor McGovern, Scherff, and George Fant? That would be fantastic.
Douglas has said he will never be complacent with his offensive line and improving that unit will be a priority here every single year.
If the free agency rumors are any indication then Douglas is certainly proving to be a man of his word thus far in 2022.
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Jets Have Entered Free Agent Sweepstakes for 5-Time Pro Bowler: Report